Friday, 1 November 2013

Many
Many Many Gods of Hinduism is an interesting look at not only Hinduism but the
culture of of India as well. At first the book seems quite daunting with over
sixty chapters but as I got into it I found the pages flying by. The chapters
are very short and written in layman’s terms. Never preachy, the basics of
Indian culture and Hindu religion are laid out in a format that makes it easy
and interesting to read. Everything, from where the word “Om” that is used
while meditating comes from to what the red dot practicing ladies of Hindu
often wear on their foreheads means. I did find at times the author to be a bit
condescending in what he wrote, particularly Chapter Thirty-One about Heaven
and Hell. His idea that Hinduism is the only correct belief and that there is
no Heaven and Hell solely because his religion says it doesn’t exist became a
bit irritating but that is a part of the beauty of this book-it’s all up for
debate. There’s also a great chapter about reincarnation that I found
particularly interesting, especially the two cases the author writes about.
This is the ideal book for someone who loves reading about different religions
and one of the best, well written books about any religion I have ever read.